[UK] Sex Swap Killer In Lesbo Bust-Up
A double killer who had a sex swap and was moved to a women’s jail is divorcing the lesbian murderess he wed behind bars.
Deranged strangler Douglas Wakefield, who had the sex change at taxpayers’ expense and changed his name to Tai Pilley, married fellow lifer Thelma Purchase.

[UK] NHS sex swap for grandad aged 80
A former RAF officer is to have a sex change aged 80 — in a £13,500 NHS op.
Ruth Rose — a grandad of four who used to be called James — will become the oldest person in Britain to have the procedure.

[Ireland] I'm a straight man who dresses as a woman ... and I'm looking for love
Although it's her day off work, Beth is dressed for the office: pencil skirt, white blouse, red mid-height heels and cardigan, one of her favourite looks.
She's having a sandwich in a southside Dublin pub and no one pays attention when she walks towards the toilet, except for a middle-aged couple in the corner who giggle and nudge each other.

[Pakistan] Equal rights
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Social Welfare, Special Education and Women Development, Sitara Ayaz said transvestites are a part of our society and as citizens of the country deserve equal rights in each sector of our social setup.

[Japan] Thousands march in Japan gay pride parade
Some 2,500 people marched in a gay pride parade in Tokyo on Sunday, vowing to transform a low-profile campaign for the rights of sexual minorities into a major movement in Japan.

[Philippines] On transgenders & feuding sisters
NO WAY – Aside from the Ara Mina-Cristine Reyes “sister act,” what’s the other sizzling issue, the talk of the town?
Should transgenders be allowed to join the Miss Universe beauty pageant?

[Philippines] Finally, a woman: A transgender’s story
Wrapped up in the trimmings of a man was a phoenix waiting to be reborn—a woman waiting to give love, and be loved.
I met with a dear old friend who was visiting the country, now every inch a real lady, and happily married. Classified by society as a transvestite, “Ramona” gamely talks about her life, her heart song, and what she calls “the best money I’ve ever spent.”

[MO, USA] Ordinance would add protection for gay, transgender citizens
Given a choice, Josh Castillo would prefer his life to be considered unremarkable.
“I’m a fairly average guy. I live in a middle-class neighborhood, I have a mortgage, a son ... I run and go fishing,” said Castillo, a hospital social worker. “If I didn’t tell you I was transgendered, you wouldn’t know.”

[TN, USA] Transgender Man Beaten In Memphis
A Memphis transgender man was taken to a nearby hospital with bruises and a concussion after being beaten Saturday night.

[TN, USA] Hate crimes in Tenn. jump; cause not clear
Hate crimes in Tennessee jumped in 2011 from a five-year low the year before.
According to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statistics reported in the Commercial Appeal, 261 hate crimes were recorded last year.

[Ireland] Trans in Media: The ASAI rule on Paddy Power
The Complaints Committee of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland have ruled on the reaction to the Paddy Power 'Ladies' Day' Advertisement. The ASAI asked Paddy Power to voluntarily withdraw the ad from broadcast while they were investigating the numerous complaints received.

[Canada] What's in a name?
Ben Boudreau would simply like to have his professors call him by his name, but this is proving to be far more difficult than he envisioned.

[AZ, USA] Transgenders face difficulties with voter identification law
Creative writing sophomore Ben Griffith hopes to have a hassle-free voting experience this election season. But as a member of the transgender community, he could face a unique set of obstacles due to Arizona’s voter identification law.

[KS, USA] Cities in Kansas Weigh Sexual Orientation Protections under Civil Rights Laws
Kansas has become the new battleground in the fight to expand the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community as city councils in Lawrence, Hutchinson, Salina, Wichita, and Pittsburg are weighing whether to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to protected classes under the jurisdiction’s civil rights laws.

[TX, USA] Transgender Widow Seeks Benefits
The transgender widow of a South Texas firefighter sued the City of Wharton this week for workers' compensation benefits she was denied because she was born a man.

[Argentina] First School for Transvestites Opens in Buenos Aires
With 35 students, the first secondary school specifically for transvestites and other members of sexual minorities who face discrimination in mainstream schools opened in March in the Argentine capital.

[Canada] Free Viagra and transgender surgery on the chopping block at DND: sources
There could soon be less spring in the step of those at National Defence as the department considers halting the decade-long practice of distributing free Viagra to the troops.
Also under consideration is the cancellation of taxpayer-funded transgender medical procedures for members of the military.

[USA] LGBT Groups Work To Advance Health Equity
The Center for American Progress, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force are partners in the Health Equity and Accountability Act Community Working Group, a broad coalition of health equity advocates. A cornerstone of this group’s work over the last year, the Health Equity and Accountability Act, is a groundbreaking effort to promote health at the intersections of disparities related to factors such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigrant status, and disability status.

[GA, USA] White House conference in Atlanta attracts activists from across the state
In 2009, some 2.6 million people were tested for HIV. Of those, only 4,100 were transgender.
That was one of the startling facts revealed at the White House LGBT Conference on HIV/AIDS held April 19 at Morehouse School of Medicine. The conference was one of many LGBT-related conferences the White House plans to hold throughout the year.

[KY, USA] SGA tables transgender support resolution
A resolution to make WKU more inclusive for transgender and gender-nonconforming students was ultimately tabled at the Student Government Association meeting on Tuesday night.

[PA, USA] FBI to return evidence in bomb-threat case, woman says
A Vinco woman said Wednesday that computers belonging to her and her spouse – both suspected in making bomb threats to Pitt – would be returned by the FBI today.
(Photo: Katherine Anne McCloskey, 55, of Vinco, said Wednesday that computers belonging to her and her spouse – both suspected in making bomb threats to Pitt – would be returned by the FBI today.)

[UT, USA] Trans-man calendar launched to raise funds
For a lot of transgender people, finding the money to pay for surgery and other medical procedures is a tough battle. Most health benefit plans offered by even the most liberal of employers don’t cover many procedures, and medical bills can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

[Turkey] Physical Attacks Against 2 Transsexuals in Ankara
Two transsexual sex workers in Ankara were subjected to continuous rape and physical attacks by two perpetrators. The two perpetrators were arrested by the police.
On 31 March 2012, two clients came to the house of two transsexual sex workers and had sex with them. However, they rejected to give money for the service. Also, they stole their mobile phones and approximately 1000 TL (450 Eur). The perpetrators also threatened the sex workers not to inform the police otherwise they would kill them. The attackers had two big "choppers". The victims did not inform the police because of their fear.
On 8th of April, the same perpetrators again came to their house and forcibly entered the house threatening them. They raped the two transsexuals, stole their 2000 TL (900 Eur) and 3 mobile phones. They also stole the cars of the sex workers.
After this incident, the victims informed the police and after a week long investigation, the police arrested the two perpetrators.

[Russia] First Fines for Promotion of Homosexuality in Russia
For the first time participants in actions aimed at the promotion of homosexuality among minors have been penalized in Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region, the regional prosecutor’s office reported on its website on Wednesday.

[Australia] Trans action group takes shape
A new Australian trans health action group based in Queensland held its first meeting in Brisbane last week to discuss anxiety and depression problems linked to gender identity issues.

[AK, USA] Alaska DMV Must Allow Sex Designation Change
An Alaska Superior Court judge has ordered that state’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to adopt a regulation establishing a procedure for changing the sex designation on a driver’s license. In a March 12 ruling, Judge Michael Spaan found that the lack of an established policy facilitating such a change violated the state constitutional privacy rights of a transgender individual, who would be placed in the position of “outing” themselves as transgender every time they are asked to show their license.

[CA, USA] Transgender man begins walk across America
Mikal Chall is just an ordinary transgender man from Michigan, but he has a big quest: equality. Putting one foot in front of the other and towing his handcrafted trailer behind him, he left San Francisco on April 23 on his journey across the "land of the free" to Washington, D.C.

[MI, USA] Ferndale Police Department talks transgender
Citing a history of violence against transgender people in the prison system, the Los Angeles Police Department has announced plans for a 24-bed holding facility for transgender detainees in their women's facility. It is the first of its kind in the nation according to The LA Times.

[NY, USA] Feds honor 66-year-old East Flatbush transgender woman
East Flatbush resident Victoria Cruz, a transgender woman who has been “out” since grade school, is a Justice Department 2012 pick as one of the nation’s top crime fighters.
The 66-year-old Latina, known simply as “Vicki,” advises abuse victims from across the city based on lessons she learned surviving years of sexual and physical torment during an era when homophobia was rampant.

[UK] Tragedy of man ‘in wrong body’
A man tortured by his belief that he was “trapped inside the wrong body” and should be a woman, met with a tragic end, an inquest heard.
Andrew Grant, 40, of New Street, Great Houghton, was found lying down the stairs of his home with a noose around his neck, on July 9 last year.

[Philippines] Should transgenders be allowed to join beauty pageants?
After consultations with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Donald Trump, owner of Miss Universe pageant, has decided to allow transgender women to compete in its pageants starting 2013. This was after 23-year-old contestant Jenna Talackova, a resident from Vancouver who was born male, was disqualified because she was not a “naturally born female.” This decision elicited mixed reactions from the public. Let’s wait and see how this decision will affect the longest running beauty pageant.

[Australia] Scholarships for trans conference
Scholarships will be available for a trans health conference in Cairns on August 24 – 25 for people unable to cover the full costs of attending the landmark event.

[Australia] Trans report set for release
A new report into transgender health and wellbeing will be launched in Katoomba, New South Wales next month.

[USA] [Commentary] CeCe McDonald Hearing Tomorrow
The struggle to free CeCe McDonald, who 'stood her ground' after she and her group of Black gay and trans friends were subjected to racist, transphobic and homophobic slurs and then attacked by white supremacists while walking past a bar in Minneapolis will play out in a court pretrial hearing tomorrow at 9 AM CDT.NCTE in Solidarity With Cece McDonald

[USA] Don Imus Feels Bad For Punching Transgender Woman
Don Imus has said he feels bad for punching a transgender woman he picked up in a bar in his youth.
While discussing real estate mogul Donald Trump's decision to allow Jenna Talackova, a transgender woman, to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, Imus told Lis Wiehl and Deirdre Imus about the incident.

[DC, USA] The Future of Gender
Authors Diane Ehrensaft, Genny Beemyn, and Susan Rankin talk about the lives of transgender kids in America.

[DC, USA] Filmfest DC: In a Sea of Comedies, Iranian Transsexual Drama 'Facing Mirrors' Wins Circle Award
Tony Gittens, founder and director of Filmfest DC, pushed laughter and lightness throughout Washington, D.C.’s 26th annual international film festival. But when the big prize came out, it went to a far more somber affair.
A five-member jury at Filmfest DC (which ran April 12-22) selected Negar Azarbayjani’s Iranian drama "Facing Mirrors" to receive the Circle Award Sunday night. The award, given to a film the jury believes is “deserving of increased recognition,” comes with a $10,000 cash prize and a chance for a distribution deal with Indiewire parent company SnagFilms.

[FL, USA] Man Sought By Detectives Turns Himself In
Brelon Small, who had been wanted by Polk County Sheriff’s detectives for failing to register as a sex offender, turned himself in Sunday evening, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Small, 34, is being held in the Polk County Jail on no bond, the sheriff’s office said.
Small is a transvestite and is known to dress up as a woman, the sheriff’s office said.

[Mexico] Death of Agnes Torres catalyst for LGBT activism in Puebla
A month and a half after the murder of trans researcher and activist Agnes Torres in Puebla, Mexico, the LGBT community has rallied to demand increased state acknowledgement of the need for human rights protection and anti-discrimination measures. 2B contacted members of LGBT groups in Puebla, the Observatorio Ciudadano and ErosFera, to hear how the community is coping… and fighting back.

[UK] Channel 4's 'My Transsexual Summer' cleared by Ofcom
Channel 4's My Transsexual Summer has been cleared by Ofcom after a man shown on the factual series complained that his privacy had been infringed and he had been made to look like he was "disgusted" with transgender people.

[France] Presidential elections highlight trans voters’ rights gap
As the dust settles on the first round of the French Presidential election this morning, a sharp warning from France’s National Transgender Association (ANT), that discrimination by the French state means that trans citizens can no longer count on access to that most basic of Human Rights – the right to vote!

[Luxembourg] International Scientific Congress: Gender Normativity and its Effects on Childhood and Adolescence
24 - 29 septembre 2012 à Luxembourg - September 24th – 29th 2012 in Luxemburg
Congrès scientifique international - International Scientific Congress
The plenary sessions will be held in German, French and English with simultaneous interpreting into these three languages (please check the languages of the workshops).
For further information, please contact Transgender Luxembourg:tgluxembourg@gmail.com.

[Turkey]Transgender woman in Turkey attacked
A transgender woman was beaten up by seven men outside her home in Istanbul last night
A transgender woman was attacked in the street outside her home in Istanbul last night when she took her dog out for a walk.
Michelle Demishevich told Gay Star News that in the early hours of Monday (today, 23 April) she and her dog were attacked by seven men for about five minutes, while neighbours just watched from their homes.
(Photo: Michelle Demishevich, trans LGBT activist and her dog nina who were attacked last night in Istanbul)

[Kuwait] ‘Build rehab centers for transgender individuals’
Kuwait should set up rehabilitation centers to treat cases of gender identity disorder, helping prevent cross-dressers and transgendered people from being abused, a parliament member suggested.

[Pakistan] Third gender resorting to begging, prostitution
The third gender in Rawalpindi are resorting to begging, and prostitution, after being hard pressed by spiralling inflation, as the people are no longer interested in hiring their services as singers and dancers to add colour to their happy occasions like weddings and circumcision ritual of a newly born boy.

[Japan] Transsexual talent finds the freedom to accept herself
The following is the second part of a two-part story of how Japanese transsexual TV personality Ai Haruna, 39, suffered from and overcame gender identity disorder.
After the operation, Haruna continued to work at the "newhalfs" (transsexuals and male transvestites) club. When she turned 20, opportunities to appear on impersonation TV programs suddenly increased. One day, she was scouted by a Tokyo entertainment agency. She then left her hometown in Osaka Prefecture for Tokyo.

[Bangladesh] Ensure transgender people's rights
Speakers at a view exchange meeting here yesterday stressed the need for ensuring fundamental rights especially the health, social and legal rights of the transgender people for uplifting their living and livelihood condition.

[Philippines] LGBTs observes civil rights march
Complacency would be the word that least describes the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT) community in Cebu.

[Philippines] Cebu Anti-Discrimination Ordinance pushed
Cebu City may be the first city in the country to have a policy against the discrimination of minority sectors of the society with the proposed Anti-Discrimination Ordinance.

[Australia] LGBTI aged care on government agenda
The Australian Government will include LGBTI people as a special needs group under the Aged Care Act, and will allocate $2.5m over the next five years for LGBTI training of the aged care workforce, in an announcement greatly welcomed by the likes of ACON and the National LGBTI Health Alliance.

[USA] Less than 20 turn out for D.C. ‘worldwide’ LGBT march
Saying they were unwavering in their commitment to LGBT equality, a contingent of 14 LGBT activists and their straight supporters held a rally across the street from the U.S. Capitol early Saturday afternoon as part of a series of Worldwide LGBT Civil Rights marches in the U.S. and abroad.

[IL, USA] Chicago youth break Day of Silence with event downtown
After remaining silent for the entire school day as part of the Day of Silence, an event created by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) sixteen years ago to draw attention to the silence felt by marginalized, harassed, and isolated queer students, Chicago area youth gathered at the Thompson Center to break the silence together.

[MA, USA] Cape advocate educates about transgender isues
When Alejandro Marcel moved to Cape Cod two years ago, he had a lot of experience educating people about how to treat transgender people respectfully. But Marcel was caught off-guard at a physician's office when he was turned away at the front desk.

[Georgia]
Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia has signed a legislative amendment that addresses the intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in the Criminal Code of Georgia.

[Malaysia] 1,000 vent anger at anti-LGBT rally
The Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) campus in Serdang was turned into a bashing ground for minority sexual preferences when some 1,000 people flooded its sports complex this afternoon to stage a anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rally.

[USA] How Voter ID Laws Impact Transgender People
The passage of strict voter ID laws has been widely discussed for their impact on black and Latino voters, elderly and student voters, women and those with low incomes. As many as five million people have been estimated as likely to lose their voting rights because of the laws.

[MO, USA] ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill introduced in Missouri state House
Anti-gay legislation made its comeback in the Missouri legislature on Thursday as House Bill 2051, sponsored by Rep. Steve Cookson (R-Dist. 153), was referred to the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

[PA, USA] FBI seizes records in bomb probe
A Cambria County couple intertwined in the University of Pittsburgh bomb threat investigation said FBI agents and police officers with a search warrant seized items from their home for a second time this week, taking handwritten notes, educational records, drafts of a lawsuit and a cell phone on Friday.

[Argentina]Gender change law soon in Argentina: rights group
A proposal to allow citizens to change their gender and name in public records may become law in Argentina next month—a first in Latin America.
Pedro Paradiso Sotille, secretary for legal affairs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights group Comunidad Homosexual Argentina, said the Gender Identity Bill would likely be passed this May because of the support of many senators, and no less than President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.